The Dual Nature of Freedom

By entitling his book "Escape from Freedom" Fromm conjures up what seems to be a paradox. How can a person escape from freedom? And why would one wish to escape? As Fromm develops his argument it becomes clear, however, that to understand what he means one must redefine the way one thinks about freedom.

Most people think of freedom as freedom from something, Fromm argues, usually freedom from some kind of external constraint. This is the kind of freedom that men have struggled to achieve in the formation of democracy, he points out, which propose to guarantee freedom of speech, freedom of religious practice and other freedoms without interference. This freedom from external control is indeed freedom, Fromm writes, but it comes at a cost.

The more a person is free, Fromm argues, the less he is connected to others. Fromm uses the example...